This invention relates to electrophotographic marking machines, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for monitoring and storing operating parameters of the marking machine.
In servicing and repairing electrophotographic (EP) marking machines, it has long been observed that the accurate analysis of the root cause of a functional failure or malfunction is critical in the successful implementation of the proper repair. Accurate and quick error analysis reduces the costs for troubleshooting itself as well as the costs for replacement parts. Any tools suited to the effective and accurate troubleshooting of malfunctions will ultimately yield higher customer satisfaction.
In addition, most consumables and components are replaced in accordance with manufacturer""s recommendation which is based on copy or page-count. The end-of-life for the component or consumable is thus inferred rather than measured. As the copy count does not accurately reflect power-up and power-downs of the machine as well as ambient operating conditions, maintenance based on copy or page counts is inherently unreliable.
Therefore, a need exists for monitoring the operating conditions of an EP marking machine, wherein the operating parameters correspond to actual usage of the machine. A need also exists for permitting error analysis and trend analysis, and for recording information corresponding to such analyses in order to enable a field/service engineer to troubleshoot/repair the EP marking machine. Similarly, a need exists to be able to store error/failure information in at least volatile memory, as well as to be able to store certain critical error/failure information in permanent (i.e., non-volatile) storage, such as a hard disk.
The present application provides an electrophotographic marking machine comprising a first set of data including a plurality of parameters corresponding to a plurality of prior electrophotographic markings or frames. The electrophotographic marking machine of the present invention further comprises a second set of data selected from the first set of data based upon a predetermined set of criteria. In addition, the electrophotographic marking machine of the present invention comprises a volatile storage device for storing the first set of data, and a non-volatile storage device for storing the second set of data.
The present application provides a method for assessing operability of an electrophotographic marking machine. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of recording a first set of data including a plurality of parameters corresponding to a plurality of prior electrophotographic markings, and storing the first set of data in a volatile storage device. The method of the present invention further comprises the steps of selecting a second set of data from the first set of data based upon a predetermined set of criteria, and storing the second set of data in a non-volatile storage device.